The Writer Caught Up in the RFA
by Zab222
Summary: Mari didn't expect anything odd to happen to her, that was before she tried to return a phone she found. Suddenly thrust into a strange apartment and chatroom filled with people in an organization called the RFA, she tries her best as party coordinator when things turn a bit dangerous. To top it off, she didn't expect herself to start falling for one of the members. (Zen X OC/MC)
1. Chapter 1

**((authors note: Hello everyone! I decided to try and write a Mystic Messenger fanfic. This is mostly because the options in the game frustrate me and I wish there were more, so I wanted to write something in which there** _ **were**_ **more and such. As I played I also was creating a character in my mind that would answer and react to what was being said and I really wanted to write that down as well. As it's a 'text' based sort of game, I did my best to tell the people sending texts apart without making it sound to repetitive; 'he sent, they texted, he texted' things like that. Now without further ado, I hope you enjoy!))**

 ***I do not own Mystic Messenger, the characters, app, or anything else related to it. All rights belong to the company Cheritz.***

The Writer Caught Up in the RFA

Introduction

Mari stared out of the window of the train she was riding in a slight daze. She had had an uneventful and rather unsuccessful day. She had been unable to find any work, another publisher had turn down her novel, she was turned down from the duplex she had applied for, and she had just used the last of her change to wash her rather battered clothes. _Doesn't it usually start raining at times like this?_ She pondered, staring up at the dark gray clouds through the glass. _Girl has a miserable day, gets off train, it starts pouring,_ she recited to herself. _Sounds right._ She sighed feeling the train slow and stood to get in line with the rest of the people preparing to leave, making sure to grab her small rolling suitcase as she did so. _I don't want to ask Danbi for more money…_ she thought gloomily. _She might just kill me for not asking sooner. Maybe Yeon will let me crash at her place again, I haven't seen her in a while. I'll have to swing by to see if she's okay with me staying with her for a few days like before. I'll cook for her again to pay off my rent._

The train squealed to a halt, shaking its passengers slightly as it did so. Mari squeezed through the crowd and onto the station, glancing skyward again and feeling relieved that it hadn't started raining. _At least I'm not part of some mellow-dramatic love story,_ she smiled to herself. _Alright, the way to Yeon's place is…_ her thoughts trailed as she heard a phone go off in the crowd of people. _Loud ring tone,_ she thought as she stared around looking for the source of the odd tune. She then noticed a black phone under one of the benches, its screen lit up as it continued to ring, but no one picked it up. Mari glanced around at the people walking by then went over to it. It continued to ring and after another glance around it was clear that no one was going to pick it up. She bent down and picked it up, realizing that the phone was super expensive, a model only recently released (she had seen it on a television she walked past the other day). _It's supposed to have everything,_ she recalled staring with wide eyes. _Why is there a super expensive phone just laying around?_ She bit her lip as she stared at the screen, the name displayed was 'Unknown' making her feel a little uneasy. She glanced around a third time before back at the phone and, feeling a little reckless, hit the answer key and held it up to her ear. "Hello?"

"Oh, thank God!" _A woman?_ "I've been calling for hours I'm so glad someone picked up!" _Or… a man?_

"Er… yeah," Mari said, wondering vaguely about the person she was talking to. "I just thought that, maybe, someone lost it?"

"I did," the voice sounded desperate. "It must have fallen out of my pocket when I was at the station today, is that where you found it?"

"Yeah, actually. It was under a bench."

"My parents are going to kill me," the voice moaned on the other end. "Listen, do you think you can help me out? They just bought that for me and if they found out I left it around someplace they'd kill me. Can you drop it off at my apartment?"

"Er…"

"I know it must be surprising to have someone suddenly asking a favor like this," they continued in a rush, "but I trust you! I mean you did answer the phone when you could have just ignored it. I really appreciate it!"

"Well…" _I'm not sure about that… I'm kind of regretting picking it up in the first place…_

"Would you please..?"

Mari frowned slightly and gripped the handle of her suitcase. On one hand, she really didn't have much to lose by returning the phone while on the other, he or she could be a complete weirdo. _They do sound pretty desperate though…_ she thought listening as the person began to talk even faster sounding close to crying. "Alright," she said dejectedly, "where's the apartment?"

"You trust me…" the voice said slowly. "You'll really help me out?

"Yeah, but I'm not too sure about this."

"Thank you! You're the best," they exclaimed. "Don't worry, it's an apartment downtown and it's always really crowded there. The area is really developed and all of that. Alright, I'm going to text you the address, call me when you get there okay?" They hung up.

 _Maybe I shouldn't have done this?_ She thought as the phone made a loud _BLING_ and the screen flashed with the new message.

-Break-

 _They weren't wrong at least,_ Mari admitted to herself as she stared around at the jostling people and buildings that surrounded her. She felt a little self-conscious as most of the people around her were wearing expensive or at least really nice clothing and looking very professional. _This person must be from a really rich family…_ she checked the message on the phone then headed for one of the buildings furthest from her. It was a fourteen story apartment building looking very nice and expensive; she felt her stomach knot. _I have to go in there…?_ She was feeling shabbier and shabbier by the minute. _At least it hasn't started raining yet,_ she glanced skyward feeling slightly humored though it did nothing to ease her knotted stomach.

She made her way inside and stared around at the cream colored walls, the velvet carpeted floors, soft lighting, and expensive looking paintings that lined the walls. Shaking her head slightly she checked the phone again then looked around for an elevator which wasn't that far from the entrance. When the doors slid silently open she was surprised by the mirrors that lined its walls and the tiled floor. She went in and hit the number five then watched the doors close. _The inside's even nicer than the outside,_ she thought gloomily staring at her reflection. Her skin looked greasy, her glasses were chipped, her dark brown hair was lank and pulled back in a rather messy bun, her clothes were faded and there were holes in the jeans she was wearing, her shoes were dirty and the laces were frayed, and, her eyes traveling from her head to her feet, her suitcase was looking rather worn; not exactly dirty but not super clean either. The suitcase held everything she owned going from two other sets of clothes (a somewhat professional set and a set of pajamas), a few necessities (such as a hair brush, a tooth brush, and a small bag of wipes for her glasses), several notebooks, a beat up laptop, a pencil case (filled with pens, pencils, erasers, and a sharpener), and a spare set of shoes.

Mari turned away from her reflection staring down at her shoes, noticing that a hole was beginning to wear through her left one, feeling her face flush in embarrassment. _Being out of work totally sucks…_ Now painfully aware that her last shower had been almost a week ago, she hoped that this would be over and done with quickly so she could leave as soon as possible. _I'm definitely going over to Yeon's tonight,_ she thought as the elevator doors dinged open. She stepped out into a quiet hall then proceeded down it, glancing from door to door. _This place is more like a hotel than an apartment complex… There it is,_ she reached the end of the hall and the last door. It was silver with a silver handle with a digital keypad just above this along with the letters 'R.F.A.' inscribed in the metal. "Alright, stranger," she murmured as she clicked on the small phone icon next to 'Unknown.' "I'm here, just take back your phone."

They picked up after a few rings. "You there?"

"Yes."

"See, nothing strange!" They sounded excited. "Thank you so much for going up."

"Yeah," Mari said staring at the keypad, "are you coming to get it?"

"Oh! I forgot to tell you, I'm not going to be home for a while. Just leave it inside, I'll text you the code and then you can just head in and leave it inside. I really do appreciate this."

"Are you sure that's okay?" Mari asked, slightly alarmed that this person wasn't even home. _Why didn't you tell me to begin with?_

"Yeah, no worries!" They hung up.

She stared at the black screen for a few seconds before it lit up with another message. "Why am I getting a bad feeling about this…?" She entered the pin and there was a soft click. Trying the handle, Mari was able to open it and she peered inside. The door lead into a short hallway which then expanded into what looked like a living room/bed room as she could see the corner of a black couch and a bed wedged in either corners of the room. She stepped inside tentatively, moving into the living space and glanced around. In this room she could see a kitchen branching out on the left and to the right was another smaller room that held a spacious desk while across from this was a computer desk with an expensive looking computer resting on it. A small bookshelf sat next to the desk, holding an assortment of binders, books, and papers, and next to this, between the shelf and the wall, was a small safe. Across from the couch was a flat screen TV mounted up on the wall and next to the bed was a closet with sliding doors, which were slightly ajar.

Mari stared around apprehensively feeling impressed by how nice the apartment looked with all of the furniture and accessories. She couldn't help but feel a slight longing of wanting to live in an apartment such as this. _It would be really nice to have a place like this all to myself,_ she thought glancing into the room where the desk was and seeing several binders and papers scattered across its surface. _Should I just leave it here?_ She placed the phone on the table and then took one last glance around before she headed for the door. As she approached it she noticed that it was shut, _must have closed on its own,_ she shrugged walking over to it and tried to leave. The handle wouldn't budge.

A cold chill seemed to crawl down her spine as she stared at the handle. She tried again and still it wouldn't move. "Alright…" she muttered turning away from the door with the intent of retrieving the phone. _Does it automatically lock when it closes?_ She wondered determined to call the 'Unknown' person again, _I really hope this person isn't a creep… I'm such an idiot._ She reached out to pick up the phone, but froze at the sight of it. Code was streaming across the screen in dark and light green arcs fast enough that she couldn't make out the individual numbers. As she continued to watch with growing trepidation and confusion the screen went black for a few seconds then flicked back on again. A white block had appeared on the screen along with the words 'Enter Your Name' just above it.

"Hold on," Mari said to the empty room staring at the phone. "What just…" she picked it up and stared at the screen, but it didn't fade nor did the code reappear. She hit the side button on the phone and the screen went dark, but when she brought it back up again it still held the same message and the white bar. "If I do this," she warned the phone, "you'd better work." She touched the center of the bar and a keypad came up. Resigning herself to the worst she typed 'M-a-r-i' then enter. The screen flicked and then went dark once again. Mari stared at it holding her breath, wondering what it was going to do next. _Did I just give my name to that person..?_ Her thoughts wondered as the seconds dragged on. _…I'm such an idiot._ Feeling rather miserable she paced the room staring at the screen until it flickered and then came back to life.

Her eyes widened when the screen was apparently showing her the structure of a chatroom. As she watched someone with the user name 'Yoosung' typed up;

'Failed my midterms fml T.T'

Another, 707, replied.

'Cuz u played LOLOL all night lol.'

Completely bewildered she watched as a user name Jumin Han appeared and then another, Zen. _Is 'Unknown' one of these guys?_ She watched as they talked. _Should I ask maybe? They aren't talking about the apartment though…_

Just then a smaller screen appeared in which held the name 'Unknown" and read;

'It'll be really fun from now on.'

A pit formed in her stomach. "Am I kidnapped?" she breathed and then glanced fearfully at the door, but after several silent seconds she relaxed a little. "Can I be kidnapped if I'm alone?" _Probably,_ her thoughts answered. "Well great!" She exclaimed loudly. She pressed her hand to her forehead thinking hard of what to do when she realized she still had the phone in her hand. "Maybe these guys can help me."

Mari glanced at the phone just in time to see a message:

Jumin: 'Why is a stranger in our chatroom?'

 _They noticed._ She scrolled up quickly and read through the previous messages and frowned. _'Wft. How did it get in here?' I'm not an it._ She scrolled back down and noticed that yet another person had entered the conversation, Jaehee.

'No one can enter this chatroom without installing the private app we use… It seems someone has downloaded the RFA Messenger'

 _RFA…?_ Mari remembered the letters engraved on the handle outside of the door.

'Who downloaded it twice?'

Jumin had typed. _I should probably say something…_ She typed in a message as she moved towards the bed and sat down.

'Hello…'

 _Maybe I shouldn't have…?_ She wondered as Yoosung began sending messages furiously.

'GAHHHH IT'S TALKING!'

She frowned at the screen just as 'Zen' messaged.

'So it's not two smartphones?'

Jumin: 'Who is it?'

Yoosung: 'Find out what it is!'

Jaehee: 'How did you find out about this place? Where did you download the application?'

Mari felt desperate. "I didn't do anything," she muttered typing in a message, "'I was just – trying to return – a phone I found – at the train station'." But before she could hit enter 707 had sent a message.

'Oh…^^; Wait. Just found something. This is weird.'

Zen: 'What is it. Hurry and tell me.'

Seven: 'I traced the IP… It's from Rika's apartment.'

Mari glanced around at the apartment she was in. _So that was Unknown? Rika?_ She erased the message she had typed and was about to type again when they continued talking.

Yoosung: 'Rika's apartment?'

Jumin: 'Where was it?'

Jaehee: 'The location is not revealed. I know it to be classified…'

Mari felt unease grip her once again. _Classified..?_ "What have I gotten myself into…? Note to self, never help out a stranger again… Wait, does this mean I wasn't kidnapped?" She read eagerly as the others continued to message the chatroom.

Seven: 'Anyways, someone must have broken into her apt. It talked just now, so it must be a person ^^;'

Quickly, before anyone else could jump in Mari managed to send _'I am, but I didn't break in here...'_

Seven: 'HACKER'

Yoosung: 'It's talking again!'

Jumin: 'How did you get into this app? Who are you?'

Jaehee: 'Username "Mari", I recommended that you confess.'

Mari: 'I'm not a hacker..! I didn't break in! I was just trying to return the phone I found. The person on the other line told me to go in and leave the phone inside, but the door closed and now I'm locked in here.'

Zen: 'Oh wow they actually confessed.'

Jumin: 'It's not really a confession. More of a statement.'

Jaehee: 'I agree. It could be a cover up story.'

Jumin: 'Seven, have you found anything?'

Seven: 'I'm checking now.'

Yoosung: 'So scared right now..! T.T'

Jumin: 'Reveal yourself truthfully, stranger. Lying won't help you now. If you do not tell the truth, you will pay.'

Zen: 'Stranger you will pay? Lmfao! omg~ *so scary*~ It might be a girl~. Did you think about that?'

Mari frowned at the screen. _How would that make a difference here?_

Jumin: 'How does that make a difference?'

"Exactly!" Mari exclaimed.

Seven: 'That's sexist lol. U should watch what u say now that ur a famous actor.'

Mari let out a short snort of laughter then groaned. "I'm talking to a famous guy now? What is even going on…?"

Zen: 'I'm not famous;; just a bit recognizable.'

Yoosung: 'Nah~ Look at the youtube hits~'

Zen: 'Dude. Stawp;;'

Jaehee: 'That video is still excellent no matter how many times I watch it.'

 _Man they get distracted really easily…_ Mari thought shaking her head a little as they sent a few more messages before Jumin interrupted them.

Jumin: 'Hey. Don't get distracted.'

Yoosung: 'Oh, right. Username Mari…'

Jaehee: '…An abrupt stranger.'

Seven: 'My hands r shaking as I hack.'

Jumin: 'Who are you? Reveal yourself right now.'

Yoosung: 'Yeees! Who are u?!

Zen: 'Use proper Korean please.'

Seven: 'If it doesn't say anything I'll hack in and find out.'

Zen: '…maybe they're one of my fans?'

Feeling slightly exasperated she typed. 'I'm Mari, what exactly is going on? Like I said, I was just trying to return this phone. Who are all of you, what is this place, and who was that Unknown I was talking to?'

For the first time since she had been on it grew still as no one seemed to want to reply to her. _That or they're typing a huge message?_ She thought feeling as though she was about to burst with anxiety.

Zen: 'They seem sincere enough.'

Yoosung: 'Yeah! Should we… introduce ourselves?'

Jumin: 'Are you serious?'

Jaehee: 'I think it is a bit too early for that.'

 _They make me introduce myself but they won't do the same?_ Mari thought growing annoyed, but then shook the feeling off. _I'd probably feel the same if I were in their shoes…_ The next message that appeared made her eyebrows go up.

Zen: 'Hi I'm Zen. (24 yrs old) Musical actor… Don't look me up on the internet. It's embarrassing.'

Yoosung: 'Zen, you're so brave!'

Jumin: 'Guess he wanted to show himself off.'

Zen: 'No way~!'

Mari gasped at the photo that Zen had sent. It was a man with short white hair with a long ponytail pulled over his shoulder and red eyes. He was wearing a blue shirt and was holding, what Mari assumed to be, a drink. "I've seen him before," she stared at his face. "Yeah, he was the actor in that play Yeon took me to. But she didn't call him Zen…?"

Yoosung: 'Omg… a photo too.'

Jaehee: 'My eyes have been cleansed. Wait… I can't be like this…'

Jumin: 'I see that he has zero interest in his privacy.'

Seven: 'Lolol, my name's 707. Real name is a secret. Fyi, Zen's real name is Hyun Ryu.'

 _Yeon is going to kill me,_ Mari thought thinking back to how her close friend had gushed for hours about how 'fabulously hot' Hyun is. "I guess he really is famous…"

Zen: 'Your name's a secret but not mine?;'

Seven: 'u don't care anyways lol.'

Jaehee: '707 does have the strangest name so I understand the secrecy.'

Seven: 'The name's too holy to be spread around~ I'm gonna pray after I finish hacking.'

Zen: 'Pray, yeah right;;'

Seven: 'Just remember me as the 22yr old young hacker lol, where I live is also a secret.'

Zen: 'So many secrets;;'

Yoosung: 'I'm Yoosung Kim! I'm a college student.. 21 yrs old.'

Jumin: 'I don't know why everybody's introducing themselves. You don't even know who that person is.'

 _Jumin does have a point,_ Mari thought guilty as Yoosung sent a picture. It showed a man with short blonde hair with barrettes in his hair. He was wearing an aquamarine hoodie with a button on the front that read 'Born the LOLLOL'. He was sitting in a chair with his hand extended and a drink in front of him resting on the he table he was at. _He's pretty cute too… looks a bit young though,_ she thought staring at the blonde. _Does he dye his hair?_

Seven: 'So warm and fuzzy here.'

Zen: 'Lol. Seven, you don't have any selfies to show?'

Seven: 'Nothing recent. Oh and also! Jumin's the heir of a pretty famous corporation and Jaehee is his assistant. 27 and 26 yrs old respectively. U have a better sense of who we are now, Mari?'

Feeling a little guilty she typed. 'Yes… thank you… I guess I should be more informative..? I'm 25 and a part-time writer, though I haven't had much luck recently…' She sent just as Jumin sent a message as well.

Jumin: 'Why did you say that, Seven…?'

Seven: 'Doubted you'd do it urself.'

Jumin: 'Stop shitting around.'

Seven: 'Oh, fyi, Jumin as the cutest cat.'

Jumin: 'Hey. Why are we talking about Elizabeth the 3rd to a stranger?'

Seven: 'The cat's name is Elizabeth the 3rd.'

Mari stared at the picture that Seven had sent. It was of a dark haired man, kneeling next to a white fluffy cat who was eating out of a dish. He was wearing a black suit with a pinstriped casual shirt under his blazer and his expression was soft as he stared at the cat. _I… didn't really see Jumin as a cat person… He must really love her though._ She stared at his face then her eyes slid down to the cat. _She has a strange name…_

Seven: 'Oh. U already said lol.'

Yoosung: 'That info's a bit useless… We're not even close with this Mari person yet lol.'

Jumin: 'Can't believe he showed a photo of Elizabeth the 3rd to a stranger… idiot… I know you came to my house the other day and harassed her. It's all on CCTV.'

Mari shook her head, feeling exasperated again as Jumin sent a blurry, black and white picture of a man with glasses sitting on a couch and playing with a cat. _They get off topic way too much… What's going to happen now? If this apartment's location is classified how did I end up here in the first place? Who was that Unknown person?_ "Probably not one of these guys," she said to the room. _I hope they get back on topic soon… I just want to know what's going on… What's so important about this chatroom..?_

Jaehee: 'I suggest that we take care of this stranger first. Could it be that we have a security breach?'

Zen: 'True. Mari, you said that someone led you to the apartment? But how did you get on this app?'

Seven: 'How did it even get the apartment password?!'

Zen: 'Where the hell is the apartment?'

Mari took a deep breath, feeling relieved that the conversation was going in the direction she wanted. 'I'm a bit flustered myself. It was all this Unknown person. I got off the train and I heard a phone ringing and found it under a bench. When I answered it the person who had called told me to come to their apartment, here. They gave me the address and the password.' _Please tell me you have some idea what's going on… any of you._

Jumin: 'Chatting with a stranger… How naïve.'

Zen: 'So cute lol. Went to an address that a stranger gave lolol.'

Yoosung: 'Don't listen to strangers~ The world is dangerous.'

Jaehee: 'I agree.'

Mari felt her face burning with embarrassment. 'I was only trying to help…'

Seven: 'Wait. If you don't have their name, do you have the chat record on that phone?'

'Uhm… let me check.' Mari hit the home button and then hit the messages to find that the messages the stranger had sent had all been deleted. She then went to her phone records to find that that had all been cleaned out as well. Then going back to the home screen, she found that a single app had been downloaded labeled 'R.F.A.' Clicking on it she found she was back in the chat. 'No, everything's gone.'

Jumin: 'Does the username not exist? Why would they have shown up as "Unknown"?'

Seven: 'I made it impossible to log in without setting a username. Nothing's in the log… First things first, I have to make sure that phone you have doesn't have any traces on it so that "Unknown" person can hack into it again.'

A cold pit formed in her stomach as she stared at the phone. _I hadn't thought of that… what if they try to get back in here…_ She glanced at the door and suddenly the silence around her seemed almost suffocating.

Yoosung: 'What's a log? Is it a job title for online games?'

Jumin: 'Tree trunk.'

Mari smiled slightly. "Really…?"

Jaehee: 'It refers to past records;;'

Zen: 'Tsk tsk everyone's so dumb.'

Jumin: 'Never thought I'd hear that from you.'

Seven: 'Omg lolol can't believe Zen just said that.'

Jumin: 'The world must be coming to an end.'

Jaehee: 'Everyone please calm down. Let's look at the situation at hand.'

 _I like Jaehee,_ Mari thought feeling grateful that she was at least striving to keep everyone on track. _She's definitely an assistant._

Seven: 'Hmm. Good point, Jaehee.'

Jaehee: 'Who do you think that "Unknown" person is?'

Seven: 'Maybe… A hacker…?!

Yoosung: '!"

Seven: 'A Hacker! No way. I have everything covered! Hey, Mari. So he told you the password for the door lock?'

Mari: 'Yes.'

Jumin: 'I see… That 'Unknown' person could have dragged you into this.'

Mari: 'Could have?'

Jaehee: 'Mari, you are quite strange yourself.'

Zen: 'Do you think this person's a creep? No way.'

Mari sighed. _I can't really blame them for suspecting me…_ 'I really just wanted to help… This is a rather expensive phone and this "Unknown" person sounded so desperate.'

Seven: 'Well, despite your good intentions, I should trace the person who downloaded the app onto the phone. That's the only reason why you were able to get on here in the first place.'

Jumin: 'If what she is saying is true.'

Jaehee: 'I think it would be a good idea to contact V.'

Seven: 'Yeah. I think that's a good idea. I'll call and explain everything.'

Jumin: 'I can call.'

Seven: 'Already on it lol.'

Zen: 'Fast.'

Yoosung: 'Seven seems to talk to V pretty often.'

Mari: '…V?'

Zen: 'V is… like our boss.'

Seven: 'The evil mastermind.'

Jumin: '…Or not. He's the person who has control over this chat room and the organization we're in. I hope V comes and takes care of all this.'

Zen: 'V's too busy these days to come chat… We'll get to talk to him because of this~'

Yoosung: 'We're all busy. I don't like that V's the only one not coming.'

Zen: 'Well… that's true…'

Jaehee: 'V should know that Mari is here so let's just wait. Seven, are you calling him?'

Seven: 'Ya.'

Mari bit her lip. _Should I apologize? I don't know if I did anything though..? It's not like I stole the phone or I hacked into the app..._

Yoosung: 'But shouldn't we tell Mari what this chatroom is for first? She has to know how serious it is that she's here!'

She raised one eyebrow. "Great," she announced to the room. "It's serious. Just keeps getting better…"

Jumin: 'What's more serious is that she's in Rika's apartment.'

Yoosung: 'That's true…'

Jaehee: 'I am always ready to call the police.'

Yoosung: 'Jaehee's scary T_T'

Jumin: 'Until we figure out who Mari is I don't want to reveal anything.'

Jaehee: 'Agree.'

Seven: 'Wecan. Sorry callingvandtypingwithonehand'

Yoosung: 'Type after you finish the call.'

Seven: 'LookedintoMarinettePetite. She'scutelol'

Mari's mouth fell open. _How the hell did he figure that out?!_ 'how did you…?!'

Zen: 'Marinette..?'

Yoosung: 'You did a background check on her!? So Mari is definitely a girl?'

Mari: 'How did you even find me if all you knew was '"Mari"?!'

Seven: 'Usaiduwere aparttimewriter. Justhadto lookuppublishedwriters withurnameandage. Itisunusualin Korea. I'm sorryabouturnovelbeingdeniedlikethat.'

She felt her face flush as she stood suddenly. 'You're not going to violate all of my…' she sent, hoping she wouldn't have to explain herself to all of these strangers. _He probably knows that I'm a homeless-bag-a-bond,_ she thought horrified.

Seven: 'I tolduim ahacker. But noevidence I didit.'

Jumin: 'What? It's really a girl?

Seven: 'Ya.'

A bar suddenly appeared, distracting Mari from her distress. 'V has entered the chatroom.' She felt her stomach drop slightly. _What's he going to say?_ But it seemed that no one else had noticed he had entered the chat. Zen had just sent a message.

'Show me a photo.'

 _Oh, god, please don't…!_

Seven: _'_ Nope~ How dare you try to violate someone's privacy like that.'

The picture he posted made her stomach flip, but a second later she realized it wasn't her. A woman was in the picture with short brown hair, wearing glasses, a suit with a badge around her neck, and holding a binder in one hand. The woman looked like she were either getting in or out of a car of some kind. Mari relaxed, but she wasn't the only one caught off guard by the sudden picture.

Jumin: '?'

Zen: 'Is that Mari!?'

Yoosung: 'omg I thought we were respecting her privacy?'

Jaehee: ';;;;;That is a photo of me.'

Yoosung: 'Oh right! Sorry I was too excited;;'

 _She definitely looks the part of an assistant,_ Mari thought feeling a little envious. _Very professional._

Zen: 'So…sorry for not recognizing you;;'

Jaehee: 'Mr. Han, you can't recognize me either?'

Seven: 'Lol. Can't believe he doesn't even recognize his own assistant.'

Jumin: '…Now what are we going to do?'

Seven: 'V's coming here soon. He just hung up.'

V: 'I'm already logged in.'

Mari's stomach tightened again, making her feel a little queasy. "I hope V knows what to do at least…" her stomach growled and she shook her head. "If I can't get out am I going to starve..?" _Come to think of it… when did I eat last..?_

Seven: 'Oh, V! you're here ^_^'

Zen: 'Finally he's here.'

V: 'Yeah. I guess I'm the last one to know about this.'

Jumin: 'Oh well.'

V: 'How is everyone? Jaehee, you've been well?'

Jaehee: 'Yes. It's been a long time, V.'

Yoosung: 'Hey V.'

V: 'Hey. …Well, I heard about the situation. Mari is currently in Rika's apartment with info from a stranger and logged into this chatroom.'

Seven: 'I told him everything through the phone.'

Jumin: 'Who disclosed the password for Rika's apartment?'

V: 'Well. No one knew the password. I don't even know.'

Yoosung: '…Thought V knew. She never invited me to her apartment.'

Jumin: 'It's the same for everyone else. No one's been there before.'

Yoosung: 'Tell us the address. I'll go there… I want to check who Mari is myself. Seven, you know right? You traced the IP just now.'

Seven: 'Uhm. Sorry but… I can't tell you that.'

Yoosung: '? I'm her surviving family.'

Mari felt a pang in her chest. _Surviving..?_

Zen: 'Maybe because you're just her cousin?'

Seven: 'Not even her immediate family can go. And the apartment doesn't belong to Rika.'

Yoosung: 'Then who?'

V: 'Me.'

Yoosung: 'You don't even know the password!'

V: 'I just respected her privacy.'

Yoosung: '…Were you really in a relationship with her?'

 _That's a bit harsh…_ Mari thought as she slowly sat back onto the bed. _What kind of drama is this…?_

Jumin: 'I can't believe you never knew the password.'

V: 'I've never even been there. I just know where it is. Anyways, the apartment is in my name. Rika usually worked there. There are a lot of documents in there that must not be damaged. I can't reveal the address because all the classified information about this organization is stored there, plus other sensitive materials.'

Mari cast a glance at the shelf filled with binders and the desk with paper strewn across it. "Okay…" she murmured looking back at the phone.

Jumin: 'I didn't know the place contained sensitive material.'

Yoosung: 'You don't trust us enough to let us go, right?'

Jumin: 'Don't take it personally. It's better to be ignorant sometimes.'

V: 'Yes, for the reason that Jumin said. Anyways, I can't tell you the address. I'm sorry.'

Yoosung: 'Then how did Seven know that the address he traced is Rika's apartment?'

Jaehee: 'Since he's responsible for the organization's classified information.'

Seven: 'Yup. That's true, but also I'm the one who developed this app. Rika wanted to take care of some work through this too. I went to her place to link the app with some of the documents in her computer.'

Yoosung: 'Oh…'

Jumin: 'I see.'

V: 'Only Luciel and I know the address. I repeat, since the information must be protected, please do not attempt to find the apartment. Do not ask Mari about it and Mari?'

She jumped and fumbled slightly in her response. 'H,yes?'

V: 'Please do not reveal the address.'

Mari: 'I won't… but, who's Luciel?'

Zen: 'That's 707's real name. "Luciel Choi".'

Jaehee: 'lol'

Yoosung: 'omg Jaehee just said lol'

Jumin: 'I think it's his baptismal name?'

Seven: 'I'm going to go pray for a moment.'

Yoosung: 'What do we do about her apartment? Can Mari stay there?'

Mari stared hard at what Yoosung had said and felt her heart leap slightly. She glanced around at the apartment again, hardly believing what she had read. _I thought they were going to get some people up here to get me out… but… if being involved in this means that I can stay here…_ she looked down to see that V had responded.

V: 'First… No one here is going to go to Rika's apartment, right? Since the information involves everyone around us, there might be trouble if we are not careful.'

Jumin: 'Yeah yeah. You can stop explaining. Classified information. Got it. But it is a mystery how a complete stranger could end up there.'

V: 'If it's someone who knows the password… It might be someone that Rika trusted.'

Jumin: 'Someone Rika trusted?'

V: 'I'm only guessing…'

Seven: 'So then that 'Unknown' person… knew Rika!? I can't believe she trusted someone more than V.'

Yoosung: 'I don't believe that. She couldn't have trusted anyone more than us…'

Zen: 'That is… a bit surprising.'

V: "It's hard to believe myself… But we shouldn't assume that we knew everything about Rika. She… had a deep world of her own.'

Yoosung: '…'

Jumin: '…Anyways. V, continue.'

V: 'If I am right. Mari being at her apartment right now… Rika must have wanted that.'

Jumin: 'Rika called in a complete stranger from up in the sky?'

V: 'I'm not saying she wanted Mari to be there… but maybe… Rika wanted someone to do the work she did before. At the place she worked before.'

Jumin: 'What…?'

Zen: 'No way…'

Jaehee: 'The work Rika did before…'

'Work?' She had typed and entered without thinking. _Crap,_ she stared mortified at her word. The promise of work and a place to stay was almost too good to believe.

Seven: 'Yeah, hosting parities.'

Zen: 'You mean Rika's Party.'

Yoosung: 'Do you really think… that Rika planned this? If she made that decision when she was alive…'

V: 'That's my guess… but yes. Since she didn't leave a will. According to the information Luciel provided, Mari doesn't seem dangerous.'

Relief washed over her.

Jumin: 'I'm not sure about this to be honest…'

V: 'Besides… she's basically in the same boat now that she knows about this messenger app. Whoever she might be.'

Seven: 'But still…'

Zen: 'If that's what V thinks… I'll agree to it but I don't feel good about it…'

Jumin: 'I still can't understand or agree with this. I don't understand… why you would even make that guess.'

Seven: 'If it's what V thinks, I won't oppose it. Mari must be going crazy with how things are going rn lol'

Yoosung: '…I think I'm going crazy. I can't believe there was something I didn't know about Rika…'

Zen: 'Yeah… you two were really close.'

Jumin: 'Not as close as V was.'

Yoosung: '…'

Zen: '=\ Jumin you jerk, how could you be so harsh on Yoosung;;'

Mari sighed exasperated and flopped back on the bed. 'All I wanted to do was come here and find the owner of this phone… Now there's parties and this chat and this apartment…'

Seven: 'U were phished lol. According to V's guess, Rika… the person who used to live there, had the person 'Unknown' convince u to go to the apartment.'

Mari frowned at the phone above her.

Jaehee: 'Wait… I understand… that everyone values V's opinion. But… This chatroom is strictly prohibited to strangers. If I may say so, I think that we must verify what Mari has said. For all we know, Mari could have simply made up that "Unknown" person.'

Her frown vanished in an instant and she had to smile timidly. "I don't blame you," she said to the phone.

Seven: 'I feel like Jaehee's glasses are glinting right now.'

Jaehee: '?'

V: 'Thank you for your opinion, Jaehee. But right now, I would appreciate it if you could trust me. If Mari is not to be trusted, we can deal with it then.'

Jumin: 'Hmm. I don't agree with you… but I'll follow your decision.'

Jaehee: 'If that is what Mr. Han thinks, then I will accede as well.'

Seven: 'Now then~ Shouldn't we… explain to Mari about Rika and RFA?'

The phone slipped out from her fingers and smacked her in the face, knocking her glasses off. Mari yelped and sat up, the phone falling into her lap. She rubbed the bridge of her nose while she squinted at the screen. 'Yes, please..!'

Zen: 'Okay. Rika is… V's old girlfriend, and the person who created this chatroom.'

Yoosung: 'Rika hosted parties regularly for a good cause. She organized a group called the RFA to plan the party and manage participants.'

Mari: 'A party?'

Seven: 'Ya. Rika founded the organization called RFA four years ago and hosted two parties until so far. The six of us who knew her personally joined the organization and helped her host the parties.'

Yoosung sent a black and white picture which held the image of a women well dressed with long wavy hair pulled up into a high ponytail. Mari stared at the photo for a while. _She was really pretty…_

Yoosung: 'She was an amazing person… she always sparkled.'

Zen: 'And Rika… is no longer here with us… she passed away a year and a half ago.'

Mari felt her heart throb again and she took a deep steadying breath. Picking up her glasses she slipped them back on her still red nose and continued to read.

Seven: 'Mari has to know this anyways…'

Zen: 'Anyways, we still haven't gotten over that yet, so please just keep it to yourself… Mari.'

Mari: 'I will…'

Jumin: 'I still can't believe… that Rika knew she'd pass away and planned all this. But I'll just consider it as true for now since V thinks so.'

Yoosung: 'I can't imagine… someone else taking over what Rika did.'

Zen: 'But if we continue on like this, there's no need for the party or our organization to continue.'

Jumin: 'We don't even know who she is though.'

Zen: 'Just the fact that she's in this chatroom makes me trust her a bit though;;'

Jumin: 'Not because Mari's a girl?'

V: 'Everyone… I know that this is confusing. But… Maybe Mari was chosen by Rika. 707 will look into that person called "Unknown". So for now, please just believe in me and wait.'

Seven: 'I guess ur busy right now ur replies are really late.'

V: 'Yeah, I think… I have to leave right now. Mari, it is best not to touch anything in the apartment. It won't be good if the alarm rings.'

Mari's heart dropped. 'I can't touch anything..? I'm trapped in here, how is that supposed to work? I can tell what not to touch obviously, but… for example…' she felt the heat rise up her neck and into her face as she typed the next message. 'If I'm going to be here for a while, I can touch the kitchen can't I…? And what about the bathroom?'

V: 'That shouldn't be a problem. And Seven?'

Seven: 'ya?'

V: 'Can you look into why Mari is locked in there?'

Seven: 'Already on it.'

V: 'Good. Mari, regarding everything else, please, don't touch any papers or other information that you might come across. Everything that you have to do… will be linked with this app installed on the phone you have.'

'Alright. What do you mean that everything is linked to this app?'

Seven: 'This app program is not just a simple messenger. All the party related emails in Rika's computer will be transferred to this app. U'll be able to automatically receive the guests' information as well. And send personal messages to other members…'

V: 'Then there's no need for Mari to touch Rika's old things. You'll be able to use the things you mentioned before though. But with everything else…'

Jaehee: 'All Mari has to do is use this app.'

V: 'Exactly.'

Seven: 'I put in all those features so that Rika could work more comfortably. Glad there's a use for them lol.'

Zen: 'Hey. My messenger doesn't have any email checking thing?'

Yoosung: 'Mine neither… can't my messenger tell me if my LOL friends are logged in?'

Seven: 'Omg'

Yoosung: '-.-'

V: 'I'm sorry… but I have to leave.'

Seven: 'Okay. See u later, V.'

V: 'Jumin.'

Jumin: '?'

V: 'Please take care of things for me.'

Jumin: '…alright.'

As a message appeared saying that V had logged out a slight trepidation took hold of her. The hope that she had clamped down at Yoosung's message a while ago seemed to well up in her and she stared around at the apartment with slight disbelief. She looked back at the chatroom to see that the conversation was still going.

Seven: '…V's gone.'

Zen: 'Yup. What's he so busy with?'

Jumin: 'None of your business.'

Seven: 'Anyways, lets do what V said. Mari, u can log into this chatroom from time to time right? Please log in at times and do what Rika did. All u have to do is use the features in this app. Most of it is just checking emails. Most of the emails will be about people who want to attend the party.'

Zen: 'Yup. And come chat with us regularly.'

Jumin: 'Why doesn't everyone stop talking and Assistant Kang summarize everything for her. And invite her to the organization.'

Jaehee: 'Alright. RFA is an organization Rika created so that anyone can freely make donations regardless of class or nationality. At the time, she hosted quite large parties once every two years and they were very successful.'

Zen: 'Those were busy days. I thought people were going to trample me.'

Jaehee: 'This chatroom was used to discuss plans for the party.'

Seven: 'I created this chatroom lol.'

Yoosung: 'Everyone knows that already…'

Jaehee: 'Because this chatroom contained a lot of information that cannot be publicly released the app was distributed in secret only for RFA members. But ever since Rika passed away, we have not hosted a single party.'

Jumin: 'Yeah… not a single one. We wanted to, but without Rika, we couldn't proceed.'

Jaehee: '…And this chatroom became a place for us to talk about personal matters.'

Seven: 'We check that everyone's alive with this chatroom and literally just chat.'

Yoosung: 'We shared our memories of Rika too.'

Jaehee: '…Mari, I think you were led to that place without any explanation. If V is right, it seems that someone sent you there to fill Rika's position. Considering that you know about the existence of that place as satisfies the conditions for joining the organization, following V's orders…'

Jumin: 'Fyi, currently there are six members. Me, V, Zen, 707, Yoosung, and Assistant Kang. Everyone in the chatroom.'

Zen: 'If Mari joins, it will be seven.'

Yoosung: 'is she… really becoming a new member?'

Jumin: 'We didn't hear from Mari yet. Mari. All we are trying to do is host parties, raise funds, gather people… and things like that. Our organization has done a lot of good so far. …you will never regret joining.'

Yoosung: 'I thought Jumin was against her. Why the sudden change?'

Jumin: 'I am only following V's decision.'

Zen: 'If you join the organization, we'll be able to talk more. Not everyday we meet a pretty girl.'

Mari frowned slightly at this. _How would he know if I was…?_

Seven: 'Uhm. How do you know she's pretty? I didn't even send the photo.'

Zen: 'Send the photo.'

Seven: 'No.'

Zen: 'Damn.'

Mari cracked a grin. _At least this seems like it'll be fun with everyone._

Jumin: 'Men will be men.'

Zen: 'And you're not a man?'

Seven: 'Heard somewhere Jumin's gay.'

Zen: 'Omg… Go away. You scare me.'

Jumin: 'Not even worth responding to that.'

Yoosung: 'But Zen, you have really low standards. You still care for looks?'

Jaehee: 'Famous people must not act that way.'

Zen: 'Gosh~ I'm not famous~'

 _Yeon would say otherwise…_

Jumin: 'Everyone stop messing around. I was talking?'

Jaehee: 'I apologize.'

Jumin: 'Mari, will you Join RFA?'

She stared at his question for a few seconds, glanced around at the apartment. _Things have certainly escalated quickly… I get locked into an apartment with a stranger's phone and then asked to join this group…_ She stared down at the phone for a while. _But if they're willing to let me stay here… and try to help figure things out… it's not like I have anything holding me back from staying here…_ Mari shrugged a little to herself. "Well," she told the phone as she typed. "I have nothing to lose, really." 'Alright, I will. It sounds like it could be fun. I'll give it a go.'

Yoosung: 'That's a fast decision…'

Jumin: 'Ha. I like it.'

Jaehee: 'I wonder if you have thought this through.'

Zen: 'Welcome, Mari. Oi, Seven. Register her info asap.'

Seven: 'Ya. I have to register her before she changes her mind.'

Mari: 'I'm not going to change my mind.'

Yoosung: 'Even the processing is fast… Mari must be a positive person, seeing that she made her decision so fast.'

Jaehee: 'She may not be a careful person.'

Jumin: 'Assistant Kang, is there something you do not like about her?'

Yoosung: 'Hey~ Jaehee, don't be like that.'

Jaehee: 'It is not that.'

Yoosung: '…I'm glad we have a girl now! It was a hopeless sausage fest until now lol.'

Mari broke out into another wide grin at this. _I did not expect that from him…_

Yoosung: 'Mari! If you have any questions, I can answer them. Ask anything you need. No need to worry about anything ^^'

Seven: 'Good. I've registered her as a member! Oh. We don't really need your signature.'

Yoosung: 'You're going to collect all the info so she can't run away, right?'

Seven: '^^…since it's a verbal contract.'

Zen: '…don't collect anything without Mari's permission.'

Seven: 'Ya. I'm gonna leave for a sec need to check sth.'

Zen: 'Background check on Mari?'

Seven: 'Nah~ it's work. I have to make a living somehow.'

Yoosung: 'Stop it. you get paid enough.'

Seven: 'How do u know how much I get paid?'

Yoosung: 'I saw your new car on fb…'

Mari examined the picture that he sent. It was a screen capture from Facebook showing a really fancy white car in the corner held Seven's profile pic. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw he was a redhead with the weirdest glasses she had ever seen. _He pulls them off so well though…_

Seven: 'Oh, lol. Did u like the photo?'

Yoosung: 'Yup.'

Seven: 'Good job lol. I'm gonna peace out.'

Jaehee: 'Well, since she has joined, I think everyone can leave if they need to.'

Zen: 'Yeah?'

Jumin: 'Hmm. Let me check my schedule…'

Yoosung: 'Okay.'

Seven: 'Anyways, welcome Mari.'

Yoosung: 'Welcome! Good luck to us.'

Zen: 'Glad you joined, Mari ^^'

Jumin: 'We'll see how you do.'

Jaehee: 'For now, I look forward to working with you.'

Mari: 'Yes of course, thank you all. I appreciate you all accepting me like this… I'll try my best!'

She watches as Jumin logged out and then Zen messaged.

Zen: 'Oh… By the way I had a dream last night. I think I saw you there…'

Mari stared wide eyed _what kind of corny…?_

Zen: 'Or not. Bye~!'

Everyone logged out. Mari sighed slightly and shook her head. "This is… weird…" She hit the back button on the phone and the chat vanished and brought her up to what must have been the home screen of the app. There were six boxes at the top labeled 'profiles' with the organizations members pictures and on the left side were three other circles that when she clicked each one sent her a collection of pictures the other organization members had sent, an email inbox, and a guest list. There were three other buttons that took up the rest of the screen labeled 'call' which was likewise empty, 'chatroom' which showed the chat she had just had with the other six members, and one that was labeled 'message' that brought her to a screen showing her that there was one message in her inbox from 'Unknown'.

Her stomach flipped as she clicked on it, remembering how she had seen the message first appear when she had gotten onto the RFA chatroom. The entire message read:

'It'll be really fun from now on. Enjoy your time with everyone. I'll get you soon.'

She felt her breath catch as she quickly glanced at the door and then back again. "'I'll go get you soon,'" she read quietly. "What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean? You did set me up! But why me? Seriously!" She quickly typed up a message and sent it back to the unknown.

'Just who the hell are you?!'

She waited for a while, but when it was obvious they weren't going to text her back she hit the back key again. "I guess I should be thankful in a way because now I have a place to stay…" she told herself in an attempt to feel better, but it did nothing to alleviate her mix of emotions.

Mari went through each of the buttons for a while, realizing that she could name the chatroom that had been saved on her phone (she named it 'Introduction') then got up and began to explore the apartment. It was pretty spacious considering everything that took up space in it. She avoided the room that held the desk, computer, and safe, but everything else she examined. She found that the TV worked and, to her delight, was a smart TV that had Netflix and many other channels. The closet, pantry that led off from the kitchen, and the fridge were all empty. Her hopes sank slightly as she stared at the empty shelves, but rose slightly when she spotted a box of crackers on the top shelf. She got the half empty box down and after a tentative bite, realized they weren't too stale. Mari wandered around the apartment snacking on them as she also located the bathroom just to the left of the front door that held a tub as well as a shower stall, which only held a half a bottle of body wash. She also discovered a washroom that held a clothes washer and a dryer next to the kitchen behind sliding doors.

"I'm going to starve to death…" she murmured taking another cracker from the now almost empty box. "What am I going to do about food and everything…?" Feeling disheartened she moved back to the living space where she had left her suitcase and, sitting next to it, opened it, and began to take out the contents. After some internal arguments with herself she had hung up her clothes in the closet, put her shoes by the front door, plugged her laptop into the power outlet by the bed, put her hairbrush, toothbrush and the wipes in the bathroom, and put her notebooks and pencil case next to her laptop. Mari put her now empty suitcase into the closet then stood and put her hands on her hips as her eyes drifted over to the bathroom door. _I should be able to take a shower right..?_ "Even if this whole thing is really suspicious… V said it was okay…" she reasoned with the room moving over to the bathroom. "I should at least be happy that I have place to stay now right? I'm not sure what I'll do about food and other things… I can worry about that tomorrow… For now… I don't have to bug Yeon and I don't have to ask Danbifor any money… I should enjoy this… right?"

There was a loud BLING behind her making her jump so bad her feet actually left the ground. Mari turned to see the phone, which she had left on the bed, had lit up with 'new message' displayed. She went back to the bed and picked up the phone, unlocking it to see that it was Seven who had messaged her.

'Mari! It's me, Seven Zero Seven! Just wanted to make sure u're doing alright. I know u must be really confused about everything that's happened. So, if u have any questions I can do my best to answer them! Like it was discussed earlier, u can send private texts like this and the others won't be able to see them.'

She smiled a little and texted back. 'Thank you, Seven. I really appreciate V and everyone letting me stay in the apartment. I do have one question though; it _is_ okay if I use the stove and shower, yes? I know I asked in the chatroom, but I wanted to make sure.' No sooner had she sent it when the phone made a loud notification sound again. Mari's eyes widened slightly, _fast texter._

'Haha! U're fine. U've had a hard time getting a place, right? U must be happy that u'll be able to stay in that nice apartment for awhile.'

Mari felt her face flush slightly. '…how much do you know exactly?'

'A bit~'

She sighed slightly. 'Okay… well… yes… I'm grateful for that… but is it really okay for me to stay here? I mean… Everything happened really fast. Suddenly I have a place to stay and I get accepted into the RFA, which I'm suddenly in charge of getting guests for a party? I don't know anyone in the group and likewise… Can you guys trust me? I mean, I want to try, I really do. If you guys are letting me stay here it's the least I can do and it sounds like it's for a good reason. It's just… the whole thing is really suspicious… I just want to do a good job…'

An unsettling feeling had gripped her while she typed. _I hope I can do that at least… If they're going to put up with me being all suddenly involved in this…_ She hit send and after several seconds passed her phone went off again.

'That's definitely more than one question! I think u're fine. Just do ur best and I'll try to find the 'Unknown' person. Don't worry so much! Trust will be built with time so I wouldn't worry about that either. Personally, I'm actually happy u joined! We'll be able to hold the parties now!'

Mari: 'They meant a lot to you guys, huh?'

Seven: 'Yes! We always had a ton of fun. I'm looking forward to how this one will go with you helping us out. ^^ I know it's a bit soon, but everyone will get along. Just wait and see!'

Mari smiled as her tension eased slightly. 'Thanks, Seven. That means a lot… oh! And when you get the chance, can you thank V for me too? I wasn't able to before he logged off.'

'Sure. It's really not a problem. We should be thanking u for accepting so quickly.'

Mari: 'It's the least I can do… oh, and one more thing… Thank you for not… telling anyone about… myself.'

Seven: 'What? That u're a homeless-bag-a-bond?'

 _I knew it…!_

Seven: 'Don't worry about it. Maybe this party can help u out too! We can invite some publishers that u can talk to about ur novel and ur writing. u're not too bad, u know.'

She felt a bit pleased at this. '…really? Thank you… and no one has to go to the trouble… but I would appreciate it none the less..!'

Seven: 'Of course. Oh! And I'll make sure to find a way to unlock the door so u won't be stuck in there.'

Mari: 'Oh! That' reminds me. There's no food here. I found a box of crackers… but that was it. The doors locked so I can't get out… So, I'm going to starve, maybe?'

Mari's stomach chose that moment to growl slightly and she frowned at it.

'Oh. Yes. That would be a problem wouldn't it. Okay! Don't worry about it. Seven Zero Seven is on the case! But anyways, I need to go to work! So, I'll let you go. U probably want to jump into the shower. Haha.'

She couldn't help but smile at this. 'Alright… Again, thank you… I'm sorry if I'm causing you guys any inconvenience. Good luck at work. I'll talk to you later.' She placed the phone down and moved eagerly into the bathroom where she stripped quickly then turned on the shower. Stepping into the hot water felt as though she had taken a step into paradise. Wanting to enjoy herself, she took rather longer than she normally would have done. Forty minutes later she stepped out of the shower with pink skin and pruned hands. "Well worth it," she told the steamy bathroom as she wrapped herself in the towels she had found.

After she had dried and dressed herself in a long shirt she normally used as a pajama top when she crashed at Yeon's, Mari went into the kitchen and ate the rest of the crackers then brushed her teeth. She stared at her reflection, in a slight daze. _I really hope this works out…_ Afterwards she turned off all the lights in the apartment and crawled into the bed, slipping under the surprisingly comfortable sheets and blankets. _How long has it been since I actually crashed in a bed…?_ She thought snuggling into the pillow. _I suddenly feel exhausted…_

She felt something pressing against the blankets and when she felt around she found the phone. "Oh yeah," she murmured. "Where was that phone charger…?" Mari had spotted it next to the television when she was trying out the channels. After fumbling in the dark for a few minutes, she snuggled back into the bed holding the phone, which was now charging from the same outlet that her laptop was plugged into. She hit the side button and was surprised to see that she had several texts and even a missed call. Opening the app she found that each of the members had texted her at least once and it was Zen who had called her. She clicked on the message Yoosung sent first.

'Mari! It's me, Yoosung, the blonde guy. It was really nice to meet you~! I can't believe that we have another member in the RFA now… Someone can finally do what Rika did… It's so strange, but I know that you can do a good job! I'm excited to get to know you better.'

Mari smiled slightly. _He must really have loved her…_

'Hello, Yoosung. Yes, I remember you and it was nice to meet you as well. I will try my best in helping the RFA! Thank you for giving me this chance to help out. I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone too. ^^'

Next she clicked Jumin's message.

'It's Jumin Han. I wanted to take this time and congratulate you on becoming an official member in the RFA. If you have any questions or are concerned about your duty as party coordinator please contact Assistant Kang as she will be able to inform you the details. She is well rehearsed in that area and I know she'll help you better understand what's to be expected.'

She cracked a grin at this. "He's totally a businessman," she chuckled responding to him in the best way she could.

'Hello, Jumin. Thank you for the advice, I'll be sure to do such if the need arises. Also, thank you for letting me join the RFA. I know everyone's a little uneasy about a stranger joining, but I do plan to do my best! Again, thank you for this opportunity.'

Next was Jaehee's.

'Hello, Mari. Just in case no one informed you yet, this is how you send private text messages. I also wanted to congratulate you on joining the RFA. As I said in the chat, I look forward to working with you and hope you all the best.'

Mari smiled as she responded to her. _I'm glad I'm not the only girl in the group… She seems to be really sensible._ 'Jaehee, thank you for letting me know. I will try my hardest to meet the expectations that everyone has of me. I doubt that I'll be able to fill Rika's position as thoroughly as she did the job herself, but I will strive to achieve such. Thank you for giving me this opportunity and I look forward to working with all of you as well.'

And lastly she checked the message that Zen had sent her.

'Mari, it's me, Zen. I'm sure that this text is a bit surprising. We can send texts through the app like this. Just wanted to say hello and personally say congrats on getting invited in the RFA.'

Mari smiled after she had read through his text. _Everyone is being so nice to me… and I can't believe that this Zen is the Hyun that Yeon goes on and on about…_ 'Thank you, Zen. It's nerve wracking for sure, but I will strive to do my best in doing what's expected of me. Also, I see that I missed a call from you. Was there something you wanted to discuss?'

She put the phone face down on the edge of her bed then turned her back to it wondering if she had responded too formally to them or not. She felt as though she was sinking through the blankets when the phone went off, snapping her back into awareness. _This is why I don't have a phone…_ she thought groggily, turning and groping for the phone. _Too much work…_ It was Zen.

'Yes! I'm sorry about that, I meant to call my director but hit the wrong person. I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable in anyway. .'

'Nah, you're fine. Didn't bother me at all. ^^'

She stared at the screen wondering if he was going to text her back. _Are the others too busy to text back? Maybe they thought it was weird I texted them back…_ The phone went off again and she was slightly surprised that it was Zen again.

'I'm glad! So, how are you doing in Rika's apartment? I bet everything is a bit strange being suddenly thrown into all of this.'

Feeling her tiredness ebb slightly, she responded. 'It's a bit flustering, but I'm happy to be able to do something in order to help you guys out. Thank you for your concern though! I'm sure being in the RFA will be a fun experience as everyone has been so nice to me when they don't even know me. It really means a lot.'

 _I wonder if I'm being too open?_ She thought staring at the phone, her gaze a little unfocused. Her phone dinged with Zen's reply.

'That's so cute! Of course, we're glad to have you. Anyways, it's pretty late and I'm going to be working out before headed to bed. Have a good night! Let's talk more tomorrow.'

' _Cute?'_ She frowned at the word then shrugged a little. _Whatevs._

'Thanks, Zen. Have a good one.'

Mari put the phone down and sighed deeply, allowing herself to be swallowed up in the bed. _Strange things today…_ she thought feeling herself fading into unconsciousness. _Wonder what tomorrow is going to be like…_


	2. Chapter 2

**((authors note: Hello everyone! Here's the next chapter~ Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews. It makes me really happy to see how much people are enjoying my writing~. I do want to say that I'm probably not going to include each and every chat, text, and/or call through the game as that makes things a bit difficult; times and what not. However, I will do my best to include most of them and definitely the most important ones! I'm even going to take a stab and combine some calls/chatrooms. Also, originally I wanted to write 'day 1', 'day 2', etc. as different chapters. I thought they would be a bit too long doing it this way so I'm going to be breaking them apart to make them shorter. Now without further ado, I hope you enjoy this latest chapter))**

Day One

There was a thumping noise that reverberated throughout the room and pounded against Mari's temples, pulling her out of her sleep. She stirred in the bed she was in, rolling over as the thumping paused and then started again. "What is it..?" she mumbled dully in slight awe in how the sound was surreal in her half-sleep state, it was as though it was echoing from a great distance. Then, as memories of the previous day slowly came to her, her mind was able to register the noise and where it was coming from. Someone was knocking on the door.

Mari sat bolt upright, staring wildly around the room which had sunlight streaming in through the ceiling as panic gripped her. She put her glasses on in a rush and slipped out of bed. _That's right, I've been sort-of kidnaped…_ She moved closer to the door as another series of thumps sounded through the silent apartment. _I was accepted into the organization RFA and I'm staying in this 'classified' apartment that used to belong to the party coordinator, Rika._ She stopped next to the short hallway, peering around the corner and stared at the door as the thumping stopped all together. _That could be 'Unknown' trying to get in here to get at the information the RFA members are worried about._ She looked around quickly wondering what would best serve as a weapon to fend off the Unknown until help came. _If help comes,_ she reminded herself growing more nervous as the silence stretched. _What should I do? Should I text someone?_ She was about to head back for the phone when there was a sound of a loud doorbell jingle and someone started to shout through the door.

"Mari! It's me, Seven Zero Seven! I've been out here for ages! You better say something or I'll come barging in whether you're ready or not! It's rather rude to walk in on a lady you know, I'd rather not do that."

Mari turned around to stare at the door. "Seven? From the RFA?"

"Finally! How late do you sleep in?! Yes, the one and only! I'm coming in now!" There came a series of soft beeping sounds, then a small click before the door handle turned and the door swung open. Mari recognized his red hair and glasses immediately. He was wearing a black light jacket with a yellow trim and he was wearing a red T-shirt underneath along with black jeans and, oddly, purple sneakers with yellow laces. Around his neck hung a necklace with a cross dangling from the black cord as well as orange and black headphones from which Mari could hear the soft noise of music. He also had several large grocery bags hanging from each arm filled to the brim with an assortment of items.

A large grin broke out across his face when he saw her. "Ha!" he laughed moving into the hall. "You're short."

Mari shook her head slightly at the sight of him staring at the large grocery bags hanging from his arms. "That's the first thing you say?"

"It's the only thing to say," he said confidently as he moved into the room kicking off his shoes as he went.

Mari stared at him with wide eyes. "What are you even doing here? And what is all of that?"

He grinned and held the bags up. "Now you won't starve, shorty. Here," he moved into the apartment and placed the bags on the table that was next to the kitchen. "I didn't know what you liked so I just grabbed a bunch of stuff. Oh, I fixed the door so you can leave whenever you want now. Must have been a terrifying twelve hours!"

"Why are you here though?" Mari asked again feeling a little overwhelmed. "I thought that V…?"

"I called him and explained the situation about the no food thing," Seven explained beginning to unpack the bags. "I timed myself! I have 30 minutes! So I moved as fast as I can to help out our new member so she doesn't starve!" He turned and handed her a carton of milk with a smirk. "Plus, with the door fixed now you can go out and get things. Just leave it to me!"

Mari nodded slightly and moved to put the milk away in the fridge. "Alright," she said slowly turning back to face him and wondering what else he had bought her. "Well… I really do appreciate it… Thank you, Seven. Oh..!" she did a half bow feeling awkward, "and it's very nice to meet you face to face. I didn't think I'd meet any of you, actually."

"It was nothing," he smirked. "And what makes you think that? When we have the party you'll be able to meet with everyone!" He began to enthusiastically empty each bag, placing each item onto the table as he did so. "Put it wherever you want, you're the one that's going to be staying here for a while anyway. Oh!" he said as though he had just thought of something as she moved to examine what he was unloading. "Nice PJs."

Mari looked down at herself and then frowned at him. "This is what happens when you come unannounced, you know."

Seven threw back his head and laughed. "That's a great come back. Too true, shorty, too true."

"I'm not that short," she said defiantly as she moved towards the closet to retrieve the same outfit she had been wearing the other day. After changing in the bathroom, she came back into the dining area to find that Seven had emptied all the bags and was now looking through the cupboards above the kitchen counter. "There's not much," she said starting to put away the food he had brought. Mari was delighted to find that he had bought an assortment of different food ranging anywhere from boxes of crackers to packages of meat. "Wow! Thank you so much Seven! This will last a while."

"Of course," he looked over at her. "I'm glad you have dishes and stuff. I knew the apartment couldn't be completely empty."

She began to put items away, feeling much better now that she knew she wouldn't starve and that she could leave. As she was putting away some canned peaches in the pantry she turned and found that she couldn't see Seven anymore. Curious she moved out of the kitchen and spotted him standing in the doorway of the room that held, what she had assumed, the classified information with his back to her. A pang went through her chest as she watched him for a few moments, the side of his face that she could make out held a grimace. "Seven?" She asked in hushed tones.

She watched him start slightly then turned to look at her with a grin on his face. "All settled in?"

Mari stared at him with a small frown. _I know what game you're playing… Rika only passed away a year and a half ago, right?_ "…Yes, thank you."

"Good!" Seven proclaimed walking back to the middle of the room. "Can't have the newest member wither away into nothingness!"

Mari smiled weakly and looked at the table that now only held the empty bags. _Watching him mask his own grief is painful…_ Her chest throbbed dully. _Quick, think of something to say – anything!_ "So," Mari said casting her mind around feeling awkward by the sudden silence between them. "I was just wondering… if…" her eyes landed on the front door, "when I leave, because I can now, I can come back here and not get locked in again?

"Ah!" He thrust one arm up, pointing to the ceiling. "Yes, your hero Seven Zero Seven has fixed everything!" He reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out two slips of paper. "Oh, memorize this one and then tear it up, if you don't mind. I managed to change the passcode on the door and this is it," he handed her one, "and this is the Wi-Fi password. I'm sure you're going to need it when you try to find more work," he handed her the other piece of paper. "Oh! And one more thing. Let me see the phone you found."

She took the papers and examined the one with numbers on it as she moved towards the bed. "Thanks," she murmured staring hard at the paper as she silently repeated the numbers over and over to herself. Absently, she picked the phone up and held it out to him. "Why do you want to see it?"

"Going to hack into it really quick," he said as he pulled a device from his pocket and then hooked it up to the phone and began typing quickly on it, it was like a small keyboard. After becoming quite confident she had memorized the numbers, she ripped the paper up into tiny shreds and moved to throw them away in the small trashcan just below the sink in the kitchen. "You're quite strange, do you know that?"

Mari glanced around at Seven who had moved to sit at the table, still staring at the phone. "Am I?"

"Yes," he glanced up at her before returning to his work. "You don't seem flustered about this at all and you accepted so quickly. Don't get me wrong, like I said before I'm rather grateful you did. This way we can have the parties again, it'll be great! You'll love it to be honest, we always have a blast. But seriously. You're not freaking out at all." He gasped suddenly looking up at her over the top of his glasses. "Don't tell me you're an alien and that you've infiltrated the RFA to gain secrets to the human race!?"

Mari stared him with a bewildered expression before breaking out into a large grin. "Yes, I'm an alien and I'm going to eat all of you."

"I knew it!" Seven said in hushed tones staring with wide eyes before cracking into a grin and returning to the phone.

"Anyway," Mari laughed slightly as she sat in the remaining chair across from him. "To tell you the truth, I am flustered. This is really weird, to be honest. One morning I don't have a place to stay and then that evening I do. That's not even including _how_ I got here to begin with. But everyone in the RFA is super nice and even though I'm a complete stranger everyone is willing to accept me. It's rather incredible," she paused staring at her hands resting on the table. "So, even though the whole situation is weird and doesn't make any sense what-so-ever, I want to try. You guys are looking forward to this party thing and I don't mind helping out."

"Well, trusting a stranger got you into this mess to begin with," he retorted with a smirk his eyes still glued to the screen.

"That's true," Mari grinned back. "Even still, I want to do this. Yoosung, Jumin, Jaehee, Zen, V, and even you all seem willing to help me out with this, even if you guys aren't so sure about accepting me as a person. Which I totally get by the way!" She added hastily watching him. "I would be all uneasy and wary too."

Seven shrugged a shoulder. "That's alright, this way we can get to know you and you can get to know us." He shot her a smile across the table. "It won't be a problem! Just you wait, everyone will get along."

Mari nodded returning the smile. "Thanks, Seven. I'm pretty excited myself. I've never really done anything like this before so I'm eager to try. I want to help!"

Seven looked up from what he was doing with a small smile. "I'm glad that you're so excited," he said before returning back to the phone and his device. Several minutes of silence followed this as Mari stared up at the skylight that she hadn't noticed the previous day. She was going over the numbers once again, just in case she forgot anything. "Alright," Seven said abruptly making Mari jump. Seven was holding out the phone to her with a grin. "Should be completely safe now, I wasn't able to track anything on the phone specifically. That only means that the hacker used our app to talk to you through the phone. You can have it."

"You sure?" She was surprised as she took it then smiled at him. "Thanks."

Seven waved his hand as he stood and placed the device back into his pocket. "Not a problem! Oh! Almost forgot." He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his wallet then held out a 50000 won bill.

"What?" She stared at it in disbelief. "You're giving this to me?"

"No," he said smirking again. "It wanted fresh air so I took it out."

She smirked in return then took it. "Thank you… I owe you."

"Nah," he waved a hand again. "Don't worry about it. This is basically for anything else that you want or uh," he coughed, "need."

Mari blinked a little surprised. "Oh, well… thank you for being so considerate."

Seven frowned. "Are you always this nice?"

She grinned widely at him. "I'm told that."

He shook his head then checked his watch. "Ah, crap. I'm late. I gotta go. So, talk to you later on the chat! I probably won't be able to come here again so make sure you lock up and don't forget the password! If you get locked out I won't be able to come to unlock it for you."

"No worries," she said walking with him as he moved towards the door. "So, I can do anything? I mean I have to answer emails and stay away from Rika's original information, but other than that, I can pretty much do what I want?"

"Well. Log in to the app every now and then just to talk with us. We'd all like to talk with you more and get to know you," he smiled. "Other than that, go about your daily life I suppose."

Mari smiled back. "Of course. And thanks for everything Seven, seriously. I would be a goner without you. The food and the phone and the hacker and the money…"

He puffed out his chest looking noble. "I am nothing but your defender of justice, madam! I live to help those in need so that they may be free of the grasps of hunger!" He grinned at her.

Laughing, Mari nodded. "Thanks, Seven."

"Absolutely!" He slipped his shoes back on then saluted at her. "I'll be off then. Talk to you later on the chatroom," and he left the apartment.

Mari stared at the door hearing his receding footsteps behind the door before she turned and went into the kitchen. "Alright, first things first, breakfast."


	3. - Writer's Update -

Hello everyone! Writer Zab here. I'm sending out an update just to keep all you lovely people in the loop. I have not forgotten _The Writer Caught in the RFA_ or my other story _When Certain Situations Change._ I recently got a writing job (Dream job!) and I spend all day typing away at my desk. Who knew that writing for a career made you so tired? I didn't.

On top of a new writing job, I've been working on several short stories and my own novel. I'm giving myself much too much to do. In other words, I'm insanely busy! But that doesn't mean that I've forgotten these stories. I _do_ plan on continuing and finishing each of them — I have endings all planned out and everything.

I wanted to upload this update to let you guys know I haven't forgotten these fanfics or you guys! You seriously don't know how happy I get when I get a favorite, follow, or review. Makes my day every single time! Since I'm out of school for a while, I do hope to upload new chapters in the coming months.

Thank you guys so much for the support and just reading through what I publish! It means so much to me!


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